(Technical diffuculties on my part. Sorry for the people who had already read this chapter...)

"What!? How is that considered as punishment!?" I screamed at the top of my lungs at the headmaster's absurd punishment. For the thousandth time, Headmaster Ozpin had sipped his coffee again. Seriously, how many cups does he drink a day?

"Mr. Arc, your eyes aren't as hollow as they used to be anymore. That's showing some improvement on your part." Wait, what? Forget about my eyes, damnit!

"And Mr. Arc, please do mind that we are in the same room with one another. You do not have to scream because of the punishment given to you."

"B-But, how are you letting me off easy with this kind of punishment!? It's not easy at all!" I lowered my voice down a bit, but I couldn't really stop myself from screaming a bit.

"Mr. Arc, all that I am asking you is to cooperate with your team members again. This is 'letting you off easy' compared to my other punishment I had in mind." I don't think I should ask about the other punishment.

"But they left me first! Why should I be the one that sounds like I left them behind!?"

"No one is saying that, Mr. Arc. This school was created for the purpose of cooperating with your teammates and-" Cutting off the headmaster, the person who runs this school is probably not a good idea on my part.

"But what if they don't want to work with me? What if they continued to ignore me? Headmaster Ozpin, please, don't do this to me. I'm fine working with Raphtalia and-"

"Working with Raphtalia, you say? I'm sorry, I don't think you introduced me to this "Raphtalia" person." Raphtalia had been sitting next to me while I was getting lectured. I'm not giving her a good impression of myself am I?

"I-I'm Raphtalia." Raphtalia pointed at herself for her introduction.

"Hello, Ms. Raphtalia. Now, how much can I trust you with Jaune?"

"Even if we didn't spend that much time together, I decided that I will protect him from any danger that we face. If I'm risking my life, then so be it. I will and always remain as Jaune-sama's sword." Raphtalia, please don't give away the fact that I can't use my sword anymore. If he finds out, then I don't know what sorts of things that could happen to me!

"His sword, you say? Tell me, why do you want to do that?" Headmaster Ozpin had resting his head on his hands in interest. Was that… weird to say in this day and era? I mean, she wants to be my sword, while I'm her shield so…

"Because… he saved my life when nobody else was there. For the things that he's done for me, I owe him my life. Not as my savior, but as his friend." Headmaster Ozpin had raised his hand to stop her. I could say the same thing to her…

She was the only one besides my teachers to be there for me. She was a complete stranger at first, but now, she was saying that she was willing to risk her life to keep me safe…

Thank you...for everything that you've done, Raphtalia.

"That's enough, Ms. Raphtalia. Hearing your words has helped me trust you. And what about you, Mr. Arc? Are you okay with her decision?" I nodded my head to give him my confirmation. He started to lean back in his chair now.

"...Mr. Arc, you do realize that she is not a student at this school, correct?"

"Y-Yes."

"And since she is not a part of this school, then you know what that means, correct?" Raphtalia looked down at floor sadly. He's going to kick her out…

"Professor Ozpin, please reconsider! She doesn't have anywhere else to go!" He simply raised his hand again.

"Rest assured, Mr. Arc. I am not kicking her out of my school." She suddenly raised her head, hearing what Headmaster Ozpin had said.

"What?" We both said this simultaneously. We were both equally shocked at the headmaster's decision. Wait, there has to be some sort of catch to this, right?

"She will be attending your classes along with you, Mr. Arc. If she can make this much of an impact on you, then I will allow her to stick by you as much as she wants. That is my final answer. However, we have a problem right now." We both looked at each in confusion.

"Teams. Each student in this school is required to be put into a team of four." Great, we don't have two other members with us, so how are we supposed to make a team with just us two? Filo isn't counting either.

"However, because of your… situation, I am looking to turn a blind-eye on this requirement for the time being. Only if I have your confirmation on something, Mr. Arc." Turn a blind-eye? You mean, he's willing to let us be a team of two?

"What do you mean by that?" When I asked him that, he leaned forward, resting his head on his hands.

"Mr. Arc, are you willing to relieve yourself of your duties as the leader of JNPR for the formation of this new team?" To create a team with only me and Raphtalia, I only need to simply...

Abandon… JNPR?

"H-Headmaster Ozpin, what if I do abandon my previous team? What would happen to them?" I'll admit it. I'm concerned for my partners. They wouldn't have their leader, so what would happen to them? Would I… get replaced?

"We will simply change the leader of the team, or if they request it, replace you with someone else on the team." If they requested it? I was going to be thrown away like nothing. Would I be considered nothing to them? The memories that we shared…

It would have been all for nothing…

But they left me first. Why should I be the one who has to suffer like this? Am I willing to forgive them, and go back to how things were?

"Jaune, make some of your fantastic pancakes!"

"Nora, leave him alone, he's been having a rough time already."

"Ren, don't you understand how good his cooking is!? I demand pancakes, oh-fearless leader!"

"Nora, let him rest. He'll make them when-"

"It's fine, Pyrrha. Cooking would help me get some of this stress out of my mind. Alright, Nora! Prepared to be pull until your heart's content!"

"Yeah! Pancakes!"

"Nora, don't be stubborn all of the time…"

"Heh,I think we should give up, Ren. She won't be listening if she's going to be stuffing all of those pancakes in her mouth!"

"...Alright then. Hey, Jaune, make sure you make some for us too!"

"What! You and Pyrrha wants some too!? I think Nora's going to eat all of it!"

"Headmaster Ozpin." I called out his name, determined to make my decision. I felt like our team should never be apart. Our team was made for the sole purpose of creating bonds. The memories we shared… The struggles we faced…

"Jaune, do you mind holding this for me? I might be a guy, but having this much hair is troublesome..." Ren walks towards me with a brush in hand...

Ren...

"So how's your day been, partner?" Pyrrha stands next to me, holding my shoulder for comfort...

Pyrrha…

"Oh, fearless leader!" Nora runs at me, closing the space between us with a hug...

Nora…

And I can't afford to lose none of it…

...

But are they still my friends…? Would I forgive them?

"Jaune… please, don't make this harder than it is for me. Just… please, let me be alone for now…" Pyrrha begins to disappear...

Pyrrha…

"Fearless leader… thank you, for all you've done for us… Maybe you can start somewhere else… like making your own pancake store!" Nora runs off...

Nora…

"Jaune, I'm sorry…" Ren slowly walks away...

Ren...

"Jaune-sama…" I felt someone's hand over mine. I looked to see that Raphtalia, who was still sitting next me, was holding my hand with hers. I smiled, reassuring that I was doing okay.

But I'm not…

I was confused. I didn't know what to decide on. Once again… my head was filled with uncertainty.

"Mr. Arc, before you answer, how about I give you another option?" I looked at Headmaster Ozpin, waiting for the next option that was going to be given to me.

"And… what is it?" Raphtalia squeezed my hand tighter. She's just as nervous as me. We don't know what to do with our own life anymore. It's like everything had been taken away from us and this next decision would be the one that determines our next plans…

"Here is my deal, Mr. Arc. Tomorrow, I will be sending you out on a mission to investigate nearby villages. I will allow you to stay as a team with Ms. Raphtalia, but you can also bring in two members of your team along with you." We both stared at him in shock. Was I… going to be sent on missions for Headmaster Ozpin? Isn't that what matured huntsman do?

"You see, I've been given reports that "monsters", mostly referring to Grimm, had been reported to be close to invading nearby villages. To us, that would be a problem since we do get certain food and equipment from these villages. Some of them I haven't heard of, but lending a hand would be the best option we have. Which is why I'm asking for the both of you to find and save as much people you can before any Grimm infiltrates the villages."

"You're asking me of all people? Why can't you just ask-" He began to sip his coffee again. How much does he have in that cup?

"It's because I asked you, Mr. Arc. I will, however, be sure to pay you after you are done with these missions that I assign to you. Now then, Mr. Arc, are you willing to take this opportunity? And most importantly…" I gulped at the stare that the headmaster was giving me. While I know he usually has his usual stoic expression, he had replaced it with a look of seriousness.

"Are you ready to take on a real Huntsman's job?"


"Raphtalia, try to keep your hair a bit more straightened, okay?" We were currently inside a room that Headmaster Ozpin had provided us. This was good because we both have a place to stay now. I don't… really want to talk to "them" right now. I just need a bit of space.

"Sorry Jaune-sama." Meanwhile, I was dealing with Raphtalia's messy hair that hasn't been kept in good condition ever since we first met. Just finding places to cut her hair had been a struggle for me.

"Jaune-sama, can I ask you a question?" Finishing her hair, I set aside the brush and told her to look at the mirror for a second before answering her. It wasn't that much different than her usual style. She looked in the mirror in awe while touching her hair.

"Sure, what is it?" She turned to me and started to wag her tail slowly a bit. Is that showing me that she's nervous about the question?

"Jaune-sama, do you believe in other worlds?"

"Other worlds? You mean like in those science fiction movies?" I haven't watched that many movies that involved going to different worlds, but I did get a bit interested in the concept of it. And so, I started to read some comics that involved other worlds, universes, and so on.

"Um, I don't know what that is, but maybe. Jaune-sama, what if I told you that I could potentially be from an entirely different world?" I raised my eyebrow at her in question.

"I guess that could be cool. But that's just nonsense, Raphtalia. There's no way you could be from a different world. Sure, you might not know that much about Vale, the Grimm, this school, and… no, that can't be…" She only nodded her head slowly at me. She didn't seem troubled at this, but I still don't buy it.

"Th-That can't be. I mean, you said you came from a village, right? Then it makes sense that you don't know that much about…!" Anything else that would be said will only cause me to believe more that she came from another world. But… how was this possible? Telling myself that it wasn't true wouldn't help me at all. It all makes sense now. Even with those previous options, there was still one option that proves that she is from another world…

Magic…

Now that I think about it, she was the only person that told me about the existence of magic. While it was still confusing to me, magic wasn't even taught to us in school, let alone acknowledged the existence of it. No, she has to be from another world. She only knows things that were in her world, while I only know things that are in my world.

But if someone else besides myself knows about this, then…

"Raphtalia." I walked to Raphtalia, and placed my hands on her shoulders. She looked a bit red in the face, but she needs this warning.

"Y-Yes?" Her tail had started wagging uncontrollably as she tried her best to divert her attention somewhere else.

"Do not tell anyone else about this. I believe that you do come from another world, but we can't let anyone else know about this." She continued to look for something in the room to look at besides me. Was she not paying attention?

"I-I understand. C-Can you...you know, give me some space?"

"Alright then, as long as you understand the risk, then it's fine." Before I could say anything else, I heard someone's stomach start to growl. Raphtalia looked at me with her tail and ears drooped down.

"S-Sorry…"

"Well, I guess we can get something to eat then." She eagerly nodded her head and started to walk towards the door. Does she even know where she's going? I guess I'm going to have to lead the way again…

"Pi!"

And it looked like Filo was hungry too. Since there was a no pet policy, I'm going to have to find something that could hide her away from others…

"Pi!" Was she getting a bit bigger? No, it must be my imagination. There's no way birds can grow fast...

Right...?


"And we finally made it to the cafeteria." We both stopped at the door before entering it. We could hear the students conversing in the room… and it feels packed.

"Jaune-sama, are you sure we should go? I mean, you can always cook for the both of us. I know that you don't like to-" Worried about me, she grabbed my arm before I opened the door.

"Don't worry, Raphtalia, I'll be fine. Anything that happens to me is my problem. And I have to be the one that faces this, head up and forward." She seemed reluctant as she wanted to open her mouth and say something, but she decided not to. Seeing her uncertainty, I patted her head.

"Let's go." I opened the door to the cafeteria, preparing myself to deal with my problems. I don't like the fact that I'm forcing myself like this, but I wanted to do this. I need this…

And so, we walked to the food counter. I didn't look at anyone because I wanted to ignore their surprised stares. Team RWBY, Team (J)NPR, and Team CRDL was staring at the both of us. I know I didn't want to look at them, but I couldn't help it. I was too nervous.

We grabbed a plate, and sat down at a unoccupied table. Chicken, rice, and apple sauce… not the best of combinations that I would want to eat, but food is food. Surprisingly, Raphtalia sat right next to me.

"Are you doing okay, Jaune-sama?" I looked at her and smiled.

"Y-Yeah, but the glances aren't helping at all." I couldn't lie to her. She could see my hand shaking from time to time, and the visible sweat started to run down my cheek. This was not a good idea. I'm not ready for this, yet.

"Jaune-sama, please calm down. Don't look at anyone else but me, okay?" She placed her hand on top of mine again. It was still shaking, but I think I was calming down a bit.

"Y-Yeah…" All of a sudden, I wasn't feeling hungry anymore. All of the glances were getting to me now. I watched Raphtalia take a bite of the chicken and was instantly pleased.

"It's really good, Jaune-sama!" Isn't she being a bit dramatic? I wouldn't say that it was THAT good, but she continued taking bites of the food until the point that her face was covered in particles of food. Gosh, Raphtalia, ever learned of some table manners?

"Jaune-sama, why aren't you eating?" She asked me this with food stuffed inside her mouth.

"I'm… not that hungry anymore. And Raphtalia, remember to eat before speaking. It's a bit rude to talk with your mouth full." Her ears perked up before swallowing the rest of food.

"S-Sorry." After that, I grabbed a cloth that was in front of me, and started to wipe her face.

"And make sure you clean yourself nicely. You don't want to have too much crumbs on your face, right?" She was a bit red in the face while I continued to wipe her face.

"Th-Thank you, Jaune-sama." After thanking me, she made a surprised face as if she had come up with an idea. Scooping up a bit of rice, she presented it in front of my face.

"You're… feeding me?" I raised my eyebrow in question. She smiled in return.

"Say, ahhh!" Is she trying to feed me? I'm not a kid!

"Raphtalia, you don't have to-" Forcefully stuffing the rice in my mouth, I couldn't speak. With the food in my mouth, I started to chew.

"Is it good? My parents had always said that sharing food will always make it taste better." She started to scoop up a bit more of the rice off her plate again. I shrugged slightly before eating from off of the spoon again. It did taste a bit different than usual rice that I was used to.

"Are you a bit calmer now?" I nodded my head, choosing not to speak because I had food in my mouth. She giggled a bit before placing her spoon down.

"Now it's your turn." My turn? I have to be the one that has to feed her now? Doesn't… couples do this? I didn't particularly do this with Ruby, but this was something that I've seen constantly when roaming around Vale on my own. This is… so embarrassing. Picking up my spoon, I scooped some of my rice and…

"Say, ahhh!" I wasn't the one who said this. Instead, I had felt food dumped over my head. All over my body…

"Hahahah! So, Jauney-boy, finally done with your pity break?" I ignored him. I picked up the spoon that I had dropped on the table, scooped up the rice again, and placed it in front of Raphtalia.

"Say, ahh, Raphtalia…" Raphtalia didn't open her mouth to eat the food. Instead, she only looked at the rest of Cardin's team, who was beginning to surround us. Because of Cardin…

More students began to stare at us…

We shouldn't have came here…

I wasn't ready to face them. And I will never be ready...

"Jauney-boy, I'm speaking to you. It's rude to ignore someone while they're trying to talk to you." He grabbed a hold of my hoodie…

And couldn't lift me up…?

"Cardin… I'm trying to talk to my friend. Now could you please do me a favor and leave me alone?" The rest of team CRDL Cardin hesitated with a nervous look, before quickly replacing it with a mischievous smile.

"Or what? Is your 'pet' going to bite me? I think you hit your head on something before coming here, Jauney-boy. No one, and I do mean, EVERYONE, doesn't want you here. Now how about you do us all a favor and leave with your little 'pet.' I think she's stinking up the entire room with her disgusting tail." Raphtalia's tail had stiffened at the word: pet. Is this a phase of aggressiveness that she's showing?

No one expect the rest of Team CRDL had began to laugh. I don't care how funny it is to them, just leave us alone. Raphtalia did nothing wrong, and he's just going to insult her? The damn nerve…

"Ah! Let go!" Before I could say anything, I heard Raphtalia yell. Looking back at her, I noticed that Dove, who was behind her, had started to roughly pull on her ears. Seeing her like this, I wanted to hurry and help her.

"Raphtal-" Before I could finish calling out Raphtalia's name, I felt Cardin pull my hoodie back to stop me from helping her. I'm guessing he had to put some more force into arm to pull me back. At this, he laughed even more.

"What's wrong, Jauney-boy? Sad that you can't help your freak of a friend?" He pulled on it more, causing me to be pulled back again.

"…"

"Not saying anything else? Well, I guess actions do speak louder than words!" After saying that, he raised up his fist and punched me…

"Jaune-sama!" Seeing this, Raphtalia had grabbed Dove's arm and twisted it to get him off of her and pushed him into his friends. This surprised the rest of the students that were in the cafeteria. How am I seeing this? Well, even Cardin if did punch me, I didn't recoil back in pain. Raphtalia quickly rushed to my side, seeing if I had been harmed.

"Jaune-sama, are you alright?" I didn't respond to her. I wasn't trying to neglect her, no. I was busy holding my cheek, trying to figure out what had just happened.

I didn't feel the weight of his punch…

I didn't feel a once of pain from his punch…

"Ahh! My hand!" Instead of me recoiling in pain, Cardin was the one who was hurt. He was holding his hand, like he was trying to recover from punching a brick wall. I felt tug on my heart, as I watched Cardin scream out in pain. Was I… feeling bad for Cardin? No, that can't be. Why should I feel bad for the number one bully in this school? Most importantly...

I was… alright?

"H-Huh? Raphtalia? O-Oh, I'm not hurt or anything." I finally responded back to Raphtalia. I was still a bit shaken, but other than that, I was alright. She sighed in relief after moving my face side to side. I'm guessing that she was looking for any bruises on me. She's truly a kind person.

"Jaune!" Hearing Cardin's yelling, I turned around to see that Cardin was rushing at me with his other fist raised up. Yelling to the person that you are about to hit is not a good idea, Cardin. While I was prepared to deal with Cardin, Raphtalia had jumped in front of me, surprising me fully.

"Raphtalia!" When Cardin swung his fist down, Raphtalia had quickly dodged it by moving to the left side of his body. But before his fist could meet up with me, Raphtalia had grabbed his arm, stopping his arm completely.

"That's enough. While I will ignore your friends messing my ears, I will not, however, forgive anyone that has any interest in harming Jaune-sama. Who do you think you are, bullying students like this?" She started to squeeze his arm a bit.

"Y-You damn bitch!" At this, Raphtalia had started to squeeze his arm harder. Why… was she doing this? I don't think she was trying to break his arm, but with enough force, she could.

".. Jaune-sama has done nothing wrong to you. What makes you think it's okay to do this to him?" Cardin was on the floor, kneeling in pain. Right now, I'm looking at a Raphtalia that was looking down on someone in disgust. Why was she going so far for me?

Was it because of pity...?

Why did she even become my friend to begin with…?

"He's… a damn liar! He faked his own transcripts, and even dared to come here when he's this weak! What makes you think that Beacon Academy needs this pathetic-"

"But did he harm anyone in the process? Did his lie do anything that could've potentially risk the lives of his teammates? And what makes you think that this school needs someone like you? A person who will only pick on the weak is the closest definition to being pathetic! You might call Jaune-sama a weakling, but from what I see from him, he is a person who's strong because of his kindness... She finally let go of Cardin's arm, and walked up to me.

"Raphtalia…" She took my hand and started to lead me out of the cafeteria. She only smiled at me and continued to lead me to the door.

"I'll get you both back for this! I'll make your life hell, Jaune! Everyone will see just how weak and pathetic you are!" Raphtalia had stopped, causing me to stop along with her. She turned her head to face me with a smile, before looking back at Cardin with a serious face.

"If he's pathetic and weak in everyone's eyes, then I would be the one to tell the truth that they're wrong..." With that said, we started to walk again. I glanced at Team RWBY and Team (J)NPR. They weren't looking my way anymore…

Was I nothing to them now…?

"Jaune-sama." I noticed that we were in the hallway, far away from the cafeteria. I didn't even notice that we left the room…

"Jaune-sama, are you alright?" I looked down, having some interest into the ground, instead of Raphtalia. She put a hand on my shoulder, wanting me to look at her.

"Are you-"

"No, I'm not alright. My friends… they didn't even want to look at me anymore…" I could feel the tears trying to break through the dam in my eyes. I wanted to continue to be strong, but turns it out, I will never be strong.

"Am I really that pathetic? Am I really garbage that's been thrown aside?" I didn't see Raphtalia's face. But instead, I could see her hands move up to gently touch my shoulders. I could tell that she didn't want to see me like this. All of a sudden, I felt her head touch mine.

"Clear your mind,Jaune-sama. Is there someone telling you that you're garbage right now?" I shook my head slowly.

"Is there someone calling you pathetic right now?" I shook my head again.

"Then don't listen to those words then. I can tell, Jaune-sama. I can tell that you're strong. But if you continue to listen to those words, then it will only bring you down. While they might be words that you don't want to hear right now, I will be the one who will continue to give you my words…" I looked up at Raphtalia when she said this.

"I will and always continue to be by your side. If the world sees you as a liar and a weakling, then I will continue to stand by your side to tell them that they're wrong. And they will continue to be wrong, Jaune-sama." I wrapped my arms around Raphtalia, and hugged her.

A flood…

A flood of tears was all I could see, as my eyes finally gave into my emotions. What I wanted to keep hidden away from others, is finally starting to come out. She flinched a bit because of my sudden hug.

"J-Jaune-sama! You could've said that you-" She stopped what she was about to say after realizing that I was crying. At this, she placed her hand on the back of my head and started to rub it.

"Did the stares hurt, Jaune-sama?" I nodded my head, not wanting to speak anymore.

"Then let's share some of that pain, together…" I nodded my head again. This time, saying:

"Can you… let me stay like this for a bit?"

"Of course. Take as much time as you need."